The present invention relates to electric ovens. More particularly, the present invention relates to a counter-top electric cook oven.
Counter-top electric ovens are known in the art. In comparison to conventional ovens, counter-electric ovens typically offer the advantage of being less bulky and having quicker cooking times. It is common for counter-top ovens to include a heating unit within a power head thereof which is used to heat the cooking enclosure. To reduce the cooking time, counter-top electric ovens typically rely on a hot airstream that is circulated around the food within the oven by a fan associated with the heating unit. It is also common for the interior of the cooking enclosure in such ovens to be accessed by manually lifting an upper portion of the cooking enclosure from the remainder of the cooking enclosure.
To reduce the weight of counter-top electric ovens for portability and to provide a cooking enclosure that allows viewing of the cooking operation, counter-top electric ovens typically utilize plastic materials for a majority of their housings, including for the cooking enclosure or body.
The cooking oven disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,217 to Moon et al. discloses the use of a heating element made of incoloy material coated with a ceramic coating in order to provide heat radiation in infrared range to heat the contents of the oven. However, it has been found that such a heating element does not produce ozone, which can further serve to filter malodorous smoke. Additionally, the ""217 patent discloses a lower oven dish comprised of metal having wire retractable handles. However, the metal dish can become extremely hot, to the point of melting a plastic base. Such metal dishes also cool rapdily once the heat source is removed. Additionally, the dish is very difficult to handle, such as when emptying the grease contents thereof after cooking.
It is often desirable to remove the head or cooking body enclosure from the oven in order to determine whether the food items within the oven have been sufficiently cooked. However, the oven body enclosure itself becomes quite hot during the operation of the oven. Thus, handling the enclosure and head becomes difficult, and placement of the enclosure or head on a surface, such as a counter-top, can burn the surface.
Lastly, it would of great benefit to provide such an electric counter-top oven which could be increased in capacity so as to cook larger food items, such as a large turkey as opposed to a smaller turkey.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for an improved electric counter-top oven.
The present invention resides in a counter-top electric oven which includes a head having an electric heating unit. The electric heating unit comprises a heating lamp and a grill underlying the heating lamp. A motor is housed within the head and has a shaft connected to a first fan for cooling the motor, and a second fan for circulating air through the heating unit. Apertures are formed in the top surface of the head for introducing air within the head, and a plurality of apertures formed in the skirt of the head for venting the air horizontally from the head. A cooling chamber is configured to surround at least a portion of the heating unit. An electronic control circuit is used to control the motor and the heating unit, so as to control the heating time and temperature.
An oven body, preferably comprised of a clear plastic, has an upper opening configured to removably receive at least a portion of the electric heating unit therein. A dish is disposed below the oven body which has an upper circumferential lip for accepting a lower edge of the body. The dish is preferably comprised of a glass material. Typically, handles are formed integrally therewith for ease of handling.
A rack rests on the dish within the oven. The rack preferably includes a first set of support legs extending from the rack, and a second set of support legs of a different length extending from the opposite side of the rack for supporting the rack at different heights relative to the dish within the oven.
An expansion ring may be disposed between the oven body and the dish in order to enlarge the cooking enclosure area of the oven.
A base partially surrounds the dish for supporting the dish on a flat surface. A holder is slidably connected to the base so as to be retracted towards the base for selective opening of the oven.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.